View full sizeMcGregor family photographMax McGregor was killed after he was struck by a car while walking on Southwest 185th Avenue Tuesday afternoon. He was interested in engineering and wanted to design airplanes.

Moments after the 17-year-old stepped onto the sidewalk, his backpack in tow, he was struck by a car, which traveled off the roadway, said Michael Zeuthen, a family friend. McGregor died at the scene, blocks from home.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office has identified the driver who struck McGregor as 41-year-old Michelle Young, of Aloha. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Traveling south on 185th Avenue in a 1994 Toyota Tercel, Young first struck McGregor, then two fences and finally a house, according to the sheriff's office. McGregor was walking north on the west side of the road when the Tercel hit him.

The car reportedly caused minor structural damage to the home. No one inside was injured. A neighbor said Tuesday afternoon that it appeared as if the driver of the car suffered a seizure.

McGregor, Zeuthen said, had two older brothers, both of whom are in their 20s. Zeuthen, 27, said he knew McGregor because he is friends with his oldest brother, who's now in the Marines and stationed in North Carolina. The family has lived in the Beaverton area for more than a decade.

Zeuthen hadn't seen McGregor in a couple of years, but remained close to his mother, Peggy. Since the crash, she's either been crying or laughing at memories of Max, said Zeuthen, who was with her Wednesday afternoon.

Zeuthen described McGregor as quiet and friendly. He was a good student, who liked to play video games. And he was always smiling.

"He was caring, funny, spontaneous," Zeuthen said. "That's what I remember from him – every time I saw him, he was laughing."

At 6 feet 8 inches tall, McGregor was "a big teddy bear," Zeuthen chuckled. His mother used to measure him, Zeuthen said, but once he hit 6 feet 6 inches tall, he wouldn't let her. At 17, he was still growing.

The family, Zeuthen said, has created the Max McGregor Memorial Fund for donations at any U.S. Bank.